Local Statistics

The top graph line shows the US birth rate 1996-2012; the middle line shows Maryland’s birth rate; the bottom shows Montgomery County.

We can see the decline and we can see that in 2002 the rates seem to plateau and then begin to increase again in Montgomery County.

Montgomery County births to teens 15-19 years increased by 27% from 2002 (17.4) to 2007 (22.0), but have declined since 2007 – dropping by almost 39% from 2007 (22.0) to 2012 (13.5).

Montgomery County has one of the lowest overall rates of adolescent births in the State. However, the number of teen births (2012=414) is among the highest 24 counties in Maryland.

Slide 2:

Most notable is that births to teens 18-19 years old increased 36% from 2002 to 2007, but then decreased by 41% over the next five years to historic lows in 2012.

Slide 3:

Adolescent births among all females 15-17 years have declined over the past decade, with some fluctuations over the decade. Rates in 1996-1998 were at a high of 12.8, dropped to 9.2 in 2002-2005, increased to 10.7 in 2006-2008, with a decline to an historic low of 6.8 in 2010-2012.

The rate of White births among females 15-17 years has remained relatively the same over the past decade with a slight reduction during 2002-2004 to 7.1 per 1,000 population. Most recent rates in 2010-2012 approach that low with the 2010-2012 rate being 7.5.

Hispanic births among females 15-17 years have increased steadily over the decade encompassed by 1996-98 through 2006-2008, with a corresponding widening of the gapwith White and Black/African American births in that time period; since 2006-2008, the Hispanic teen birth rate for 15-17 yrs has declined substantially – almost in half from its rate of 41.6 in 2006-2008 to 22.9 in 2010-2012 (a 45% reduction). The gap between Hispanic and White rates has dropped from a 4-fold higher rate (Hispanic 41.6: White 10.7) in 2006-2008 to a 3-fold higher rate in 2010-2012 (22.9:6.8). Work remains to get disparities eliminated.

While the Black/African American births among females 15-17 years have declined in the 1996-1998 through 2004-2006 time period, and were closing the gap with White births, the birth rate increased 10 percent from 2005-2007 to 2007-2009 before a continued decline from 2007-2009 rate of 14.9 to 8.6 in 2010-2012. Black teens 15-17 years had birth rates that were 2.5 times higher than White rates in 1996-1998. In 2010-2012, the rate dropped to 1.1 times the White rate. (FYI -- at 1.0, disparities are eliminated.)

Slide 4:

Adolescent births among all females 18-19 years have declined over the past decade from its peak rate of 50.4 in 2000-2002, to historic lows in 2010-2012 of 31.1 births per 1,000 population; there was an increase in 2002-2007 (36% increase) before reverting to a pattern of decline; birth rates among females 18-19 years are over 4 times higher than rates among females 15-17 years.

Hispanic births among females 18-19 years have increased from 76.2 in 1996-1998 to historic high of 136.4 in 2005-2007 with a corresponding wideninggapwith White and Black/African American births. In 2005-2007 the Hispanic/Latino rate was over 3 times higher than the birth rate among White teens. Since then, the rate has declined in recent years – almost in half by 2010-2012 to 70.1. The gap with White and Black/African American teen births among 18-19 year-olds has decreased to a rate that is 2 times higher than White and Black/African American teen births.

After a brief decline from 1996-1998 through 2002-2004, Black/African American births among females 18-19 years have experienced modest increases and decreases, but have been steadily decreasing since 2007-2009. Disparity gaps with White teen births dropping slightly from 1.3 times White births (57.4: 43.8) to 1.2 times the White births (40.4: 33.0) in 2010-2012.